Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 13:34:59 -0800 (PST)
From: Author James
Subject: Chronicles of a Real Dark Knight 3
Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss
Whedon. Copyright 20th Century Fox.
Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics
and Warner Bros.
X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel
Comics and 20th Century Fox.
Talamasca, Lestat, Louis, and all related characters created by Anne Rice.
Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice.
I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in
case, I have myself covered.
In this story, which has been floating around in my head most of my life,
you will find many universes merging, as the above copyrights reveal. I
hope you all enjoy this. I appreciate any feedback that you may want to
give. This story doesn't deal so much with sex, sex, sex, but more of my
feelings that I struggled with and am starting to come to terms with. Part
of his background is mine. I do hope that you enjoy it!!!
I have received many emails from people who have enjoyed it and some from
those who do not. I would enjoy hearing from you. Any emails you send,
please tell me what chapter and story you are commenting on. Thanks.
jmsotc@yahoo.com
I also have several online messenger services. If you want to chat with me
in real time, email me and tell me the services you use and I will tell you
my screen name.
Chapter 3 Fatherly Love
"There is a dark evil coming? That's kind of vague," Joshua
replied.
"Mystical things tend to be vague. At least as far as prophesies
go. When a prophecy comes, they tend to happen much, much sooner than the
actual event. Sometimes thousands of years. Given that the prophet may
not know of certain advances in technology, the prophecy is vague."
"But what could it be?" Lance asked.
"I'm not sure. But I may go talk to Batgirl."
"Can I come?" Joshua asked.
I saw the eagerness in his eyes. It was a distraction to what he
was going through, not knowing where Logan was and what was happening to
him. I could sympathize with him. But I didn't want him to come with me.
He had things to worry about at home. His father disowned him. Being too
distracted with personal issues can make one mess up.
The phone rang.
"I've got it," Lance replied.
"I don't think it would be a good idea for you to come, Joshua."
"Why not?"
"Um...guys," Lance replied. We turned to him. "It's Ororo. She
wants to know if Joshua is here."
I turned to Joshua. "Talk to her."
"Okay."
Joshua went over and took the phone. Lance walked over to me to
give him privacy. His arms went around my waist.
"I'm glad you are okay."
"I'm glad you are okay. You said you didn't know what the vampires
wanted?"
"No. They were fixated on attacking us though. They seemed
driven. These guys were powerful enough to stop them, though."
"Did they say they were mutants?"
"No, they didn't."
"I wonder where their power comes from."
Joshua hung up the phone and walked over to us. "The Professor
wants me back home. But I don't want to go home right now. I'm not ready
to face my dad."
"Would you like to stay with us tonight?" I asked.
"Could I, please?"
"Sure," I replied. Lance nodded in agreement.
"Can I stay with Eric and Lance?" Joshua asked. "Mom wants to talk
to you."
I took the phone from him. "Hello, Ororo."
"Do you care if he stays the night?"
"Not at all."
"I feel really bad about what Bishop did to him. I've been trying
to talk to Bishop to help him understand. You would think that his being a
mutant would make him more tolerant."
"Him being a mutant has also allowed him to see the differences in
others. Everyone who tends to be different tends to become an enemy,
especially when they are against you. He's merely reacting. It's a
learned behavior."
"I wish I could do more to convince him."
"Would you like me to come talk to him tomorrow?"
"That would be nice."
"I'll bring Joshua home and I will talk to him."
"Thanks, Eric."
"You're welcome, Ororo. And Joshua will be perfectly safe here.
Hank and Jean installed the equipment that masks mutant signatures so the
Friends of Humanity, or anyone else, will not be able to detect us here."
Ororo thanked me again and said goodbye. I hung up the phone.
"You can stay," I replied. Joshua looked a little relieved. He needed
this time away. He had a lot on his shoulders, a lot on his mind. "I'm
going to take you home tomorrow and I'll try to talk to your dad."
"Good luck," he replied rolling his eyes.
"Why don't you go shower and get ready for bed?"
"I...uh...don't have any pajamas."
"Are you wearing boxers?" I asked.
"Uh...yeah?"
"Then just wear them. I'll find a robe for you to wear over top."
"What if you don't?"
"Joshua, we're all guys here. Okay...where that was going would
not have worked. We've seen penises before...not that we are going to
try to see yours...but you don't have to worry about us gawking or
anything."
"Um...okay." Joshua looked reluctant but he didn't say any more.
He went upstairs to the guest bedroom.
"What's up with his dad?" Lance asked.
"Found out Joshua is gay and disowned him."
"Oh, no. Poor kid."
"Yeah."
"What is this?!" Joshua yelled from the bedroom.
Lance and I ran upstairs to the bedroom.
"What's wrong?" I asked as I entered.
"There's a bunch of wet, sticky stuff on the sheets! What is it?"
My face flushed as did Lance's. "I'll change the sheets. Go on
into the bathroom and shower."
Joshua left the room and went to shower.
"I'm so embarrassed," I said.
"Me, too."
"We invite a minor over to our house for the night. All of us are
gay. And he finds cum spots on the sheets. Damn, Justin. He should have
told us he didn't clean up after himself."
Lance and I started laughing. As embarrassing as it was, it was
also funny. I changed the sheets while Lance looked in the closet for a
robe. He found only one in there.
"Isn't that the one Justin wore?" I asked.
"Yeah...but there are no more in the closet."
"Are there any wet spots on that?"
Lance laughed but checked it out. "No."
"Okay. He can wear that."
Lance took it to the bathroom door and opened it enough to hang the
robe up. Then he came back in and helped me make up the bed. "We should
probably behave ourselves tonight while he's here. It was bad enough
Justin coming in on us while we had sex. I would feel so horrible if
Joshua were to."
"I know what you mean."
Lance and I went downstairs and out to the patio. We sat down and
held hands looking up at the stars. Not too much later, Joshua joined us,
hair damp from the shower and the bathrobe covering him well.
"This smells like Justin," he said.
Lance and I looked at each other. "That's because Justin stayed
here the other night and wore it."
"Did he sleep in that bed?"
"Yeah," Lance replied.
"Do you know what that stuff was in the...oh...never mind."
Joshua got quiet. Then suddenly said, "That's nasty."
"What's nasty?" I asked.
"I figured out what that stuff was in the bed. Did he do anything
on this robe?"
"No," I replied.
"Good. Justin may be cute but I don't want any of his juices on
me."
We started laughing. Joshua sat down in a chair and all three of
us looked up at the sky.
"It's a beautiful night," Joshua said.
"Yep...sure is."
"I wonder where Logan is," he said quietly.
"I'm sure wherever he is, he's safe."
"I hope so."
I looked over at Joshua and put my hand on his. He grasped my
hand. "I know so. I've known him a little longer than you. I know he's a
survivor. He's tough and capable of protecting himself. I'm sure he's
fine."
We sat for a while all three of us holding hands, Lance and I
because we were in love, Joshua and I because we were supporting each
other. After a while Lance let out a big yawn.
"I should be going to bed," he said.
"Maybe we all should." I turned to Joshua. He was out like a
light. "He's asleep. I'll carry him up."
"Are you sure you can? He's a teenager."
"But I'm a mutant. I punch vampires for goodness sake. I think I
can pick up a teenager."
"Okay. I'll get the door."
I stood, went over to Joshua, and gently put my arm behind his
neck. My other arm went under his knees. I lifted him up into my arms. I
held him a little closer than normal, wanting my love for him as a friend,
perhaps even as a possible son, to flow into him. I carried him up to the
bedroom and tucked him in.
"Good night, Joshy," I said kissing him on the forehead.
"Good night, dad," he whispered.
I knew why he said what he said. I wasn't his dad in the literal
sense, but I did treat him in ways that a father would treat his son.
I went to bed and cuddled with Lance for the night.
The next morning, I prepared a healthy breakfast for us all.
"We have that reception to go to tonight," Lance said.
"Oh, that's right."
"What reception?" Joshua asked.
"For Prince William and Prince Harry," Lance answered.
"Cool. Is it just for whoever is invited?"
"Afraid so."
"Darn."
We ate breakfast and I loaded the dishwasher. After cleaning up
everything, including myself, Joshua and I got in the SUV and headed off
toward the X-Men's new hideout. When we pulled up I sensed Joshua's
anxiety.
"It will be okay," I said putting my hand on his. He gave it a
tight squeeze and we got out.
Ororo stood at the door. She greeted Joshua with a hug, and then
told him to go inside. She approached me. "How did things go last night?"
"Okay. He needed that time away from life."
"Did he say anything?"
"Not too much. He's really upset and I don't blame him."
"I know. I wish I could have helped."
"There are some things that even a mother can't do. It's not an
inadequacy on your part by no means. It's just the way relationships are
formed. He needed some positive male figures in his life for strength and
support."
"And I appreciate all you've done for him."
"I'm just glad I could be there for him. Now, where in the world
is Bishop?"
"He's in the garden in the back."
"Thanks."
I headed off through the church to the back. I found Bishop
standing in the middle doing nothing in particular. Probably thinking
about what was going on, more like. But to the casual observer, he looked
like he was doing nothing.
I cleared my throat. "Excuse me."
He turned. "Can I help you?"
"Actually, I think I can help you."
"With what?"
"With your son, Joshua."
"What do you know of my son?"
"I've known him for quite a while. I know he loves you and
desperately wants to get to know you. I know he's a mutant. And I know
he's gay."
"Who are you?"
"Oh, my apologies." I stuck out my hand. "Eric McCoy. Child
psychologist."
"Bishop."
"Nice to meet you."
"Likewise." Bishop released my hand. "So you're a child
psychologist." I nodded. "Is there anything you can do to help my son?"
"Help him with what?"
"With the fact he's gay."
"There's nothing anyone can do to help him with that. In fact, he
doesn't need help. Being gay isn't a disease."
"But it's not normal."
"Really? Could you tell me what normal is in your eyes?"
"Guys liking girls. Girls liking guys. That's normal."
"What about mutants? Are mutants normal?"
"Of course we're normal. We didn't choose to be mutants. It's the
factor of our genes."
"And that's what being gay is. It's a factor of genes.
Researchers are constantly finding new information about sexual
orientation. They are discovering that people are wired for certain types
of personality and that sexual orientation is involved in that wiring."
"No, no. You can't blow the fact he likes guys off on DNA. I'm
not gay. His mother isn't gay."
"No...but perhaps a distant relative was...or is. Sometimes
you find relatives who are gay. It helps show that it's genetic."
"But he's only a teenager. He's not old enough to know. Maybe if
he wouldn't have sex or look at other boys until he turned 18."
"Bishop when you were his age, did you look at girls?"
"Well, yeah."
"You knew then that you liked girls?"
"Of course."
"Chances are good that Joshua knows for sure he likes boys. I know
that many guys, as well as girls, go through stages of experimentation in
exploration of their sexuality. That's natural. It's through that
exploration that teens find out who they are and what they are.
"Joshua discovered that he is gay. It's not easy for him. It's
not easy for any of us. He's a mutant, too. That makes him part of two
out groups. And the fact he has darker skin color. There are still those
in this world who believe that darker skinned people are inferior. That
triples a lot of stress on a teenage boy. What he needs is love and
understanding. What he needs is for his dad to be there for him and
support him. You may not agree with his orientation. But he is your son.
He needs to be loved and accepted by you, affirmed that he is your son and
that he is loved by you.
"You may eventually come around to understanding and even accepting
his sexual orientation. Then again, you may not. But wouldn't you rather
have your son in your life regardless?"
Bishop looked at me. He spoke not a word. But I could feel that
he was thinking about things. He did love his son. Things just may turn
out better for Joshua. I could only hope.
I nodded to Bishop and walked away. I climbed in the SUV and
headed back home.
To Be Continued...
I'd like to know what you think so far of the new series. I know its just
beginning. And I assure you that more will be developing. If you want to
get the whole story of the Friends of Humanity, I encourage you to read
Tales of a Young Mutant jas931@hotmail.com
Tales of a Superhero Band dylan@celticwarrior.com
Tales of the Protectors aj_williamson@yahoo.com